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A Man’s Age May Play Key Role in Couple’s Infertility
July 08, 2008 12:54 PM
by
Rachel Balik
A recent study found lower pregnancy rates and increased risk of miscarriage in couples where the man was over 35.
30-Second Summary
Among 12,000 couples being treated for infertility in France with intrauterine inseminations (IUI), the rate of successful pregnancy was lower when the female partner was over 35. However, it was also lower when the male was over 35. "How DNA damage in older men translates into clinical practice has not been shown up to now,” researcher Dr. Stephanie Belloc said. “Our research proves for the first time that there is a strong paternal age-related effect on IUI outcomes….”
The study also found that there was a greater incidence of miscarriage in partners of older men. Belloc says that the finding indicate it might be wise for couples with just one older partner to try fertility treatments.
At the same time, couples should not put off pregnancy because they assume that they can depend on fertility treatments. Many women think that having children when they are older won’t be a problem for them, but treatments are expensive, emotionally taxing and not guaranteed to work. “I worry that women will make unwise choices, ” said Dr. Marcelle Cedars, a reproductive endocrinologist.
On the other hand, research done by University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropologist John Hawks suggests that humans are evolving in order to have children later: “The bottom line: people are unlikely to live much longer in the future—at least, due to genetic changes—but they are likely to be better at having kids older.”
The study also found that there was a greater incidence of miscarriage in partners of older men. Belloc says that the finding indicate it might be wise for couples with just one older partner to try fertility treatments.
At the same time, couples should not put off pregnancy because they assume that they can depend on fertility treatments. Many women think that having children when they are older won’t be a problem for them, but treatments are expensive, emotionally taxing and not guaranteed to work. “I worry that women will make unwise choices, ” said Dr. Marcelle Cedars, a reproductive endocrinologist.
On the other hand, research done by University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropologist John Hawks suggests that humans are evolving in order to have children later: “The bottom line: people are unlikely to live much longer in the future—at least, due to genetic changes—but they are likely to be better at having kids older.”
Headline Link: 'Father's Age a Factor in Infertility'
Doctors have known for some time that women over 35 have more complications in pregnancy, but researchers in France studying infertile couples found that a woman’s age was not the only factor. Dr. Stephanie Belloc reported that, “we also found that the age of the father was important in pregnancy rates—men over 35 had a negative effect. And, perhaps more surprisingly, miscarriage rates increased where the father was over 35.” Previously, certain treatments such as in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection were primarily considered for couples in which the woman was over 35, but Belloc recommends that those treatments be applied when either of the parents is over 35.
Source: U.S. News and World Report
Opinion and Analysis: Is It Safe to Wait?
A study done by a University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropologist last year suggests that humans may be evolving so that they can have children later. He explains that, “very few people lived into their 40s more than 50,000 years ago. That's a big biological change. So genes that impede fertility at later ages must be experiencing stronger and stronger selection pressure.” When natural selection is at work to strengthen a population, it must affect mortality or fertility. Although humanity is not likely to experience a drastically lengthened lifespan, it is likely that our species will eventually be more able to have children later in life.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
More and more women believe they can postpone pregnancy and depend on fertility treatments but in many cases, getting pregnant over 35 is harder than the mainstream media suggests. People don’t realize how expensive fertility treatments are, or that the celebrities who have babies at 40 probably did so at great financial and emotional cost. Some women are even freezing eggs and putting off pregnancy for longer, but that practice is not as reliable as people think. “I worry that women will make unwise choices,” Dr. Marcelle Cedars, a reproductive endocrinologist, said.
Source: MSNBC
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